The Brethren of Granger, Texas

By now you probably have guessed that each month we personally deliver the Master's Table to different churches from town to town. Well, this particular trip my daughter and grandsons joined me to keep me company and help out. We journeyed highway 95 from Taylor to Temple and visited many little churches in each town along the way. However, in the small community of Granger we happened upon the quaintest little wooden church building and as we all got out to read the Historical Marker and take pictures of the building, we were met by two of the most gracious, spirit-filled, Christian ladies, I believe I have ever been privileged to meet.

Pat Hejl and Velma Kabala had been taking a walk around the block and just happened to walk up as we were taking pictures of the outside of the building. Naturally, (as would be in their hearts to do) they stopped and introduced themselves to us and offered a tour of the church. The boys, Anthony and Brendon were happy to oblige, and we three went on a tour, while Kerri waited with the baby, who was sleeping in the car.

The ladies were so informative and friendly and they showed us every room in the little building. They told us some history of the congregation, let us pretend and pose for pictures, then joyfully escorted us back to the parking lot, exchanging names and phone numbers.

Velma was very impressed to pray with us all and both ladies agreed that God certainly had a reason for us all to be there together as they are simply never there during the week. The organ had broken and they were there to let the organ repair man in. While they waited for him to fix it, they were getting exercise walking around the church. They had decided seven times around would be nice, and we arrived in the middle of it all. We all enjoyed the fellowship, and joining hands, hearts, and minds together before the throne of God was icing on the cake.  We were so blessed with these lovely Unity of the Brethren Church members, we plan to take a Sunday off from our regular services and worship with them; maybe several times.

In case you didn¹t know, the Unity of the Brethren is a small Protestant denomination with a very long history dating back to 1457 (some sixty years prior to the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.). Unity of the Brethren originated in the preaching and martyrdom of a Catholic Priest named John Hus, whose diligent studies of the Scripture convinced him that the Church of his day had departed from the teachings of the New Testament His call for reform was resisted, however, and instead he was finally ex-communicated by the Council at Constance, and was burned at the stake on July 6, 1415.

He was born in Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic) in approximately 1371. He received his Master's Degree from Charles University in Prague in 1396 and became a professor of theology in 1398. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1400, was made rector of the University in 1402, and in 1404 received a "Bachelor's Degree" in theology (presumably a more advanced degree than the term suggests today).

His appointment as Pastor and preacher was of the Bethlehem Chapel in Prague. John had read and agreed with writings of John Wycliff, and began teaching and preaching them from his pulpit at Bethlehem Chapel and he began to preach reform in the church. Because of a favorable political climate, he was able to keep preaching his message of reform for a period of time. However, there were many opponents to the reforms John Hus felt should be made and he was regarded as a dangerous radical by many.

Much of the reform he wanted had to do with discipline and tradition in the papal order, which he believed to be abuses. One of his biggest issues was the celebration of the Lord's Supper. He believed that when the church was celebrating the Lord's Supper, it was wrong to keep the cup from ordinary Christians. But that's the way it was in John Hus' day. Religious leaders believed that it was too risky to put the cup into the hands of ordinary people - what if they happened to spill it? But John Hus disagreed. He thought that all Christians should be given both the bread and the cup. His belief in the Bible as the Greater Authority led him to criticize the church for establishment of doctrine contrary to the Bible¹s teachings.

 He began condemning the corruption of the clergy and freely criticized the practice of worshiping images and statues, for believing in contrived miracles, and for having a superstitious attitude in the Christian life. He also condemned the sale of indulgences - the idea that for a financial gift to the church, you could purchase some time off in purgatory for either yourself or someone else.

In the year 1409, the Pope issued an order that John Hus could no longer preach from his pulpit at Bethlehem Chapel. Hus and his friends refused to obey. After all, it was Jesus Christ who had commissioned him to preach the Word of God, not the Pope. Hus was commanded to appear at a trial for heresy and insubordination at Rome. But, instead of going himself, he sent representatives.

John still had a lot of support in Prague. His friends rallied around him, and made it possible for him to continue preaching. Hus was even elected to a prestigious post in a new university. However, this didn¹t end his struggles with the Roman Catholic Church.

In the year 1411, Pope John XXIII called for a crusade against some of his political enemies in Naples. To finance an expensive war, he authorized the wholesale selling of indulgences. To John Hus, this was an outrage - the Pope selling God's forgiveness for sins yet to be committed! He vigorously denounced this trafficking in sacred things as heresy. The people of his city defended him, and three men were beheaded for opposing the Papal doctrine of indulgences. The Pope declared the city of Prague to be under a special curse from God.

John Hus saw that his usefulness in the city of Prague had diminished, so he left town and started preaching and writing, travelling to various cities around southern Bohemia. But the Pope still wanted to put him on trial. So, in the year 1414, Pope Sigismund invited John Hus to a special council to consider the charges against him. Sigismund promised John Hus that he wouldn¹t be harmed, even if he was found guilty of all the charges.

Hus agonized over the decision to go or not. He would be leaving his safe home, and entering into the territory of his avowed enemies. But after all, Pope Sigismund had promised him that no harm would come to him; and Hus eventually decided to go. Perhaps at the trial he could clear his name and make a stand for the truth.

It didn¹t work out that way. Once Hus got to the city where the council was to take place, it wasn¹t long until he was treacherously lured into a trap and then imprisoned in a dungeon. Then they held the trial.

Before he was finally condemned for heresy, they allowed one public hearing where John Hus might be allowed to defend his case. But Hus was not allowed to defend or present his own views. They misrepresented his teachings, and condemned him as guilty of heresy, while refusing to let him clarify what he taught.

On the sixth of July, he was burned at the stake - condemned by the same church that had promised him safe passage. But the work of John Hus lived on. His followers in Bohemia continued their work for a long time, and Hus became a hero. Not only to his own people, but to virtually all the great men of the Reformation. He was betrayed by the false promises of others who ended up executing him in the name of Christ. But he was a man who would rather receive his praise from God, not man.

The seed of the Unity of the Brethren has been attributed to his ashes as he organized the fellowship which numbered over 200,000 in 400 congregations by the time of Luther and the Protestant Reformation.

Continued persecution almost annihilated the Unity from existence after 1621, however it did survive in secret for over 300 years in Bohemia . This period of time is referred to as "the period of the hidden seed". During that period public worship for the Brethren was impossible except under the cover of darkness or in the secrecy of the forests.. Bibles and religious books were often seized and burned and many members cruelly tortured.

Some fled the persecution in Bohemia, and went to Poland under the leadership of the famous bishop and educator, John Amos Comenius. But, even there the arm of persecution reached them in the plundering and burning of the center in 1675.

Another group migrated to Germany where they were later organized into the World-Wide Moravian Church of today. After 1850, descendants of the Ancient Unity began to migrate to Texas from Bohemia and Moravia. The first arrivals settled mainly in the Fayetteville area, but soon spread to other points.  The first Brethren congregation was organized at Wesley, Texas in 1864 and a union of several of these were accomplished in 1903. The union was destined to be the foundation of the Unity of the Brethren of the present day.

There are Unity of the Brethren churches scattered throughout the Central Texas area: Taylor, Granger, Buckholts, Temple, and other towns around. If you would like to visit one and need to know where one may be located close to you, we are sure Pat Hejl or Velma Kabala will be happy to assist you and you will be warmly welcomed. The Texas State Historical Marker interestingly describes the migration period here in America and we have included a picture here as well as some other interesting facts.

The inside of the Granger Brethren Church has been changed and remodeled through the years but the majority of the building retains a Shaker style.  Simple but functional. It smacks of early colonial, and one can easily step into the past expecting to see a lady in the hallway or going up the steep stairs carrying a candle or lantern as in the early 19th century.

One of the most interesting points of the entire Church was the History Plaque that hangs in the foyer. Here you see the picture of it. A large nicely framed tribute to the History of the Unity of The Brethren. A 21st century collage of 19th century memories. The perfect finishing touch.

And to Pat and Velma, we also believe there was a reason for us all to be there that day, and we were specially blessed by your love and caring for us. Your prayers for our safetywere answered that very hour as when we began to drive away, the brake shoe on the van (which had shown no signs of problem at all) suddenly broke on the right side and the vehicle would hardly drive. We had it fixed around the corner there at Precision Ag Repair. We wondered what would have happened if it had occured while we were driving down the highway. Perhaps we would have had a long walk to the next town. Or worse??? Thank you, and God bless you and your precious brothers and sisters at Unity of the Brethren, Granger, Texas.

The history of John Hus and the Unity of The Brethren was taken from the brochure provided by this church by Pat Hejl and Velma Kabala, a biography of John Huss, John Fisher, and Thomas More of Charles University in Prague www.cuni.cz, and John Hus ­ A Brief Biography from a family history at www.calvarychapel.com.